194 PRACTICAL POULTRY PRODUCTION 



instead and can not be sold at capon prices. Such a bird 

 is known as a "slip." In order to become perfectly familiar 

 with the location of the testicles and the procedure as de- 

 scribed herein, it is advisable for the beginner to practice 

 this operation on a dead cockerel or one that is intended 

 to be killed. Thus the place to make the incision, the loca- 

 tion of the testicles, etc., can be definitely learned and con- 

 fidence secured. While the operation is not a difficult one, 

 practice is necessary to enable one to caponize quickly. 

 Even expert caponizers make mistakes and some birds will 

 be lost, but this loss should not be more than two or 

 three per cent of the number operated on. 



Care after the operation. Caponizing apparently does 

 not inconvenience or hurt the birds at all. From appear- 

 ances it would seem that the first step in the operation, 

 namely the removal of the feathers, is the most painful 

 and this can be lessened to a great extent by soaking the 

 feathers over the ribs with water before they are removed. 

 After the capons are released from the operating table they 

 should be confined to a yard or pen by themselves where 

 they can be kept quiet for several days. Remove all roosts 

 from their house for the first two weeks after the operation, 

 as the less jumping or flying they do, the sooner the wound 

 will heal. Capons may be fed as usual, but, if preferred, a 

 wet mash composed of equal parts of corn meal, bran, mid- 

 dlings, and 10% beef scrap can be given for a day or two 

 after the operation. During the first week or ten days 

 the capons should be carefully observed to see whether or 

 not "wind puffs" have formed. This condition is caused 

 by air gathering under and puffing out the skin near the 

 wound. To reheve this trouble make a small cut in the 

 skin with the point of a knife and press out the air. 



Feeding capons. In addition to such feeding as the 

 birds pick up on range, they should be fed a grain ration. 



